一寸の虫にも五分の魂
Issunnomushinimogobunotamashii
Even a tiny bug will defend itself. - Proverb
A good martial artist is formidable. Formidable is defined as, “To be strong and powerful and, therefore, difficult to deal with if opposed to you.” In Japanese, one way to say, “formidable” is tegowai (手強い) which can also mean “difficult, tough, redoubtable or stubborn.” Interestingly, tegowai literally translates as “strong hand” which suggests that someone formidable has a certain amount of physical power or prowess. Every person has jiriki (自力) or “self-power.” The problem is that most people don’t realize that they have power or don’t know how to tap into it. Martial arts training is one way to release or harness our power. One of the first things that happens when a person starts martial arts training is that they unknowingly hold their breath. This is what makes them tire out or hyperventilate. We hold our breath because it is a biological response that happens automatically because of stress, worry, or fear. Therefore, one of the first things we learn in martial arts training, most times unknowingly, is how to control our breathing. All martial arts movements are based upon kata (型) or “predetermined movements.” All kata movements are timed with inhales and exhales. Holding our breath or breathing in or out at the wrong time causes us to become winded faster and skews our thinking. When we breathe properly, it intentionally calms our nervous system which in turn impacts our heart rate, blood pressure, stress response and immunity. In sword class the other day, Watanabe Sensei said, “When your shoulders sit, the technique has entered your body.” This was interesting because in order to breathe properly, we must be relaxed with the proper posture. So, when the technique “enters” our bodies that means that we have stopped holding our breath and at the same time, we can start to control it as well. Being able to control our breathing enables us to control our minds and our response to adversity. Formidable can be translated as “strong hand” but that doesn’t mean indestructible because formidableness is really a mindset. The formidable mindset doesn’t mean that adversity doesn’t scare us, but rather that we are game to challenge adversity rather than cower from it. In training, it is a really interesting shift when a person finds their power - you can actually see a shift in the way a person walks and carries themselves. The Japanese say, “issunnomushinimogobunotamashii” (一寸の虫にも五分の魂) or that “even the weakest and smallest beings have their own wills, so do not make light of them.” Every person has power and it is the goal in every person’s life to find it. In the martial arts and in life, when a person finds their power, they will become a force to reckoned with. A good martial artist has found their power and that is why they are formidable.
Today’s goal: When things get tough, grit your teeth, furrow your brow, and say to yourself, “I am formidable.”
Watch this video to better understand breathing and mental power.